The "Halve Maan" site
Overall view of the FlaK-battery. One recognise
the three FlaK-pits.
This site
is called "Halve Maan" and lies between the port estuary, the Luisbostraat, the Halvemaandijk and the Vuurtorenweg. The
site was classified as a monument on the 3rd October
1997.
During
the first world-war the German battery "Eylau" was situated here with three and later vife
During
the second world-war the Germans installed the first Hundius battery on the
Halve Maan comprising four
From 1943
onwards, the site was part of the head-quarters of "Panzer Stützpunkt Hafen".
Meanwhile
a battery of light AA-guns was installed, manned by a platoon. This battery was equipped with (probably) a
After the
war the Belgian Navy installed here the Post War Signal Station (PWSS). Its functions were the observation of the sea
of
Halve Maan
The Halve
Maan is divided by a passage.
Left and
right of this passage there are brick ammunition stores which date from before the second world-war. (21, 27)
To the
north of this passage way, close to the entrance, are brick quarters, an ammunition
store and a troop
bunker. The latter is a bunker for 15 men, Regelbau 656 (2). This model was usually built for the Kriegsmarine and is a
rare type. All doors are gone but the
paintings on the inner walls and the technical texts are very well preserved.
Regelbau 656, crew
bunker for 15 man
Behind
this 656, there's a light construction, with an, until now, unknown function.
On top of
the dune there remains a command bunker (1). This is a Regelbau 610 and was the command post of Stp Hafen. This
bunker has been completely re-fitted by the Belgian Navy. On
top of the bunker was the post-war machineroom of the site and above was the
radio station.
On the
seaward side, behind the 610, one see a Vf observationbunker (9) and a trunnion of,
probably, the first location of
the Hundius battery. (10)
The Vf observation
post with a former open emplacement.
To the
south of the passage, on the top of the dunes, is a MG-bunker which is flanking the beach, direction Bredene.
This is a Regelbau 515(6). This model, originally designed to be built on the Westwall, is rather scarce
and this one is special because it
still has its armoured plate, 6P7.
Regelbau 515, flanking to Bredene.
On this
part of the Halve Maan a light AA-battery (FlaK) was installed of which all buildings
remain.
Next to
the 515, is a bunker with an open emplacement for an AA-gun. (11) This is a L410A, a AA-gun bunker with section
command post.
The FlaK
pit has both a small and a large entrance. The large one serves for the gun and is
afterwards closed by beams. The smallest serves for the crew.
The Flak emplacement of the L410A.
The
following open emplacement has no bunker (5).
The third
bunker with an open emplacement is a rarity. It is a command post for a battalion, L421A (3).
Further
on there are some more quarters in brick and an ammunition bunker of a light construction.
After the war...
In 1950
the Belgian Navy re-used the empty buildings. They re-fitted the bunkers to house, in war time, the coastal naval
command post. Later on the Navy installed an aggregate for the autonomy of the site. This
generator was foreseen to
provide
the light-house with electricity. They built a powerful communication centre
and a radar centre on
the Halve Maan to guide the ships.
Map of the Halve Maan
Number of
visitors :